title: The paranasal sinuses: the last frontier in craniofacial biology.
abstract: This special issue of the Anatomical Record explores the presence and diversity of paranasal sinuses in distinct vertebrate groups. The following topics are addressed in particular: dinosaur physiology; development; physiology; adaptation; imaging; and primate systematics. A variety of approaches and techniques are used to examine and characterize the diversity of paranasal sinus pneumatization in a wide spectrum of vertebrates. These range from dissection to histology, from plain X-rays to computer tomography, from comparative anatomy to natural experimental settings, from mathematical computation to computer model simulation, and 2D to 3D reconstructions. The articles in this issue are a combination of literature review and new, hypothesis-driven anatomical research that highlights the complexities of paranasal sinus growth and development; ontogenetic and disease processes; physiology; paleontology; primate systematics; and human evolution. The issue incorporates a wide variety of vertebrates, encompassing a period of over 65 million years, in an effort to offer insight into the diversity of the paranasal sinus complexes through time and space, and thereby providing a greater understanding and appreciation of these special spaces within the cranium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Otolaryngology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA. samuelmarquez@ downstate.edu
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Márquez
mesh_terms: D000715:Anatomy / Q000266:history; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D005145:Face; D014644:Genetic Variation; D049668:History, 15th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011323:Primates / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013045:Species Specificity; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology